Posted on 11/28/2003 9:24:31 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
Their aim was to secure the release of arrested members of the terrorist group in Singapore, police colonel says at trial
BANGKOK - The alleged Singaporean ringleader of a terror group discussed with a Thai Muslim, on trial for terrorist activities in Thailand, a plot to kidnap foreign ambassadors and bomb embassies, a policeman testified yesterday.
Police Colonel Pirapong Duangamporn told the Bangkok Criminal Court that the Singaporean, Arifin Ali, confessed while in police custody in the city-state to discussing the plan with Samarn Wae-kaji.
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The aim was to secure the release of arrested members of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist group in Singapore, Col Pirapong said.
'Arifin said they had to threaten the embassies of the United States, Israel and Singapore to bargain for the release of JI members,' he said.
In addition to plotting the bombings of embassies, they also spoke about kidnapping ambassadors or businessmen from the US and Israel and possibly killing them afterwards, he added.
Thai police arrested Arifin, also known as John Wong Ah Hung, in May and deported him to Singapore.
A month later, three Thai Muslims were arrested. Samarn surrendered to the authorities in July.
The four are accused of planning to bomb the embassies of Australia, Britain, Israel, Singapore and the US, as well as Bangkok's Khao San Road backpacker district, the Nana red-light district and the resorts of Phuket and Pattaya.
They are on trial on charges of conspiring to harm national security, being members of an unlawful group, and assembling illegally to commit a crime.
They have denied the charges, which carry a maximum 10-year prison term. All are alleged to be members of the JI, the regional wing of Al-Qaeda.
Col Pirapong said Arifin mentioned only three of the suspects in the alleged plot - medical doctor Waemahadi Wae-dao, Islamic preacher Maisuri Haji Abdullah and manual labourer Samarn - but not the fourth defendant, Maisuri's son, Muyahi.
He said Arifin had surveyed the areas around the targeted embassies.
He quoted the Singaporean as saying that Waemahadi suggested adding Thai tourist destinations Pattaya and Phuket to the bombing list.
Col Pirapong said they scheduled the attacks for June because the tourist season would be at its peak then.
'Samarn and Arifin planned to drive the cars to carry the bombs to the targets, which were to be detonated at the same time on June 6 in order to create the maximum amount of chaos,' he said.
Waemahadi also allegedly told Arifin that ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can be used for making explosives, would be easy to obtain from Thai farmers, Col Pirapong said. Arifin suggested that Waemahadi lead the Thai branch of the JI, he said.
The police colonel said Samarn arranged a fake Thai identity card for Arifin for 35,000 baht (S$1,540).
Col Pirapong is the first of 60 witnesses to testify in the trial, which is expected to run for years before a verdict is reached.
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